Australian occupational therapists working in adult physical dysfunction settings: What treatment media do they use?

Abstract

The use of exercise‐based treatment media, which target the underlying basis of physical dysfunction but can overlook the psychological, social, and cognitive aspects of human function, has been criticised as being incongruent with occupational therapy philosophy. This study aimed to explore the treatment choices of Australian occupational therapists in adult physical dysfunction settings, to identify the influences on those choices, and to determine whether the use of client priority assessments impacts on treatment choice. Responses to a mail‐out questionnaire were obtained from 147 occupational therapists working in eight specialty areas of physical dysfunction practice. Following descriptive analysis, the five most frequently used treatment media were education and counselling, home visits/modifications, functional mobility, self‐care and pure upper extremity exercise. Regardless of the treatment medium chosen, participants identified client‐related factors, such as clients’ skill level or special interest in the activity, as the greatest influence on their selection of that medium. Results suggest a trend toward the use of treatments that are functional, client‐focused and that address occupational dysfunction. Further exploration of the clinical reasoning associated with decisions about treatment choices is needed.